Homeland Security Minister revokes licence for Ichocho Power Security
After circulating a video on social media, which indicated that Ichocho Power Security company had kidnapped Tonderai Banda — son to the country’s renowned entertainment organiser, Jai Banda — that was demanding the lawyer to ask government to include the firm as a national security agency for his son to be set free, Ministry of Homeland Security has revoked the company’s operating license.
In the video, director of the security company, Yassin Suwedi — popularly known as Ichocho for his muscular body as he is a passionate weightlifter — was deemed to have made terroristic speech and according to the police was charged for causing panic to the public.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Tuesday, Minister of Homeland Security, Ken Zikhale Ng’oma said Suwedi breached matters of national security — hence the revocation of his security company’s license.
“It is illegal to dramatise something that is involving national security in a country without any clearance either from police or from the Ministry of Homeland Security and what happened in Blantyre was illegal because it brought fear to many people,” said the Minister.
“Nowadays, there are so many insurgents all over the world and with the recent video we all thought Malawi had one, only to be told it was drama which is not on as we do not play around with security.
“We are the ones who give licenses and we are also the ones who revoke licenses and I have instructed my officers to revoke the license of the security company which was involved as they know our rules.”
However, Suwedi and Tonderai Banda issued an apology on Tuesday in a video, saying that what they did was just for a show to spice up the FCB Nyasa Big Bullets street bash, which Jai Banda’s Entertainers Promotion organised in partnership with First Capital Bank (FCB).
The event, that attracted hundreds of people that included FCB Chief Executive Officer, Spyridon Georgopoulos alongside Bullets president Konrad Buckle and FCB founder Hitesh Anadkat, was to celebrate the landmark sponsorship with the People’s Team as well as launch a newly-introduced digital product named ‘Think First’ campaign.
Ichocho Power Security was contracted to provide security at the bash that started from 10:00hrs-23:00hrs.
According to Ndirande Police what Ichocho did is publication of false news likely to cause fear and alarm to the public c/sec 60 of Penal Code” and while this was false, it still caused fear and alarm to the public.
The police interviewed both Ichocho and Tonderai Banda, who confessed that this was all done as a stunt to market the bash, but the police and Homeland Affairs Minister would have none of it.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Nyasa Times
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